Stalemate

Devanath at Pixabay

The skirmish had begun shortly after sunrise, and a tremendous battle developed  through the day.  Each side had moments when victory seemed assured only for reinforcements to arrive in aid of their foes.  This give and take over only about a mile of land, in the end, caused both armies to withdraw as the day ebbed away.  Neither general believed he had the manpower or remaining energy to pursue his withdrawing enemy.

As the sun set into the western hills, a column of cavalry of about seventy strong made its way back to its bivouac site from which two hundred had ridden that morning.  Each survivor carried his own emotional and physical scars from the day’s engagement.  Each wondered what the next dawn would hold in store for them.

Padre

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #43